Antimicrobial Agents Based on Metal Complexes: Present Situation and Future Prospects

Abstract

The rise in antimicrobial resistance is a cause of serious concern since the ages. Therefore, a dire need to explore new antimicrobial entities that can combat against the increasing threat of antibiotic resistance is realized. Studies have shown that the activity of the strongest antibiotics has reduced drastically against many microbes such as microfungi and bacteria (Gram-positive and Gram-negative). A ray of hope, however, was witnessed in early 1940s with the development of new drug discovery and use of metal complexes as antibiotics. Many new metal-based drugs were developed from the metal complexes which are potentially active against a number of ailments such as cancer, malaria, and neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, this review is an attempt to describe the present scenario and future development of metal complexes as antibiotics against wide array of microbes.

Effect of palladium(II) complexes on NorA efflux pump inhibition and resensitization of fluoroquinolone-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: in vitro and in silico approach

“…In addition, the electropositive nature of transition metals allows them to solubilize in biological fluids with no hindrance in bioavailability. The positive ions released tend to bind to protein and DNA base pairs, forming an inner-sphere complex ( Sharma et al., 2022 ). However, achieving the aforementioned mechanisms with organic compounds can be quite challenging due to their inherent structural limitations.…”

Oxide anchored multi-charged metal complexes with binary nanoparticles for stable and efficient anti-bacterial coatings on cotton fabrics

“…4 Most of the conventional antimicrobial agents work on the bullet-target principle addressing specific biochemical processes such as enzymatic reactions, transcription, translation, etc., thereby leading to progressive resistance. 5 Notably, during this alarming health crisis, the development of new anti-microbials is struggling to cope with the pace at which AMR is evolving. 5 Personal protection equipment such as respiratory protective devices (RPDs) including face masks, though aimed at preventing the spread of airborne infectious pathogens, presents several possibilities for microbial transmission.…”

“…5 Notably, during this alarming health crisis, the development of new anti-microbials is struggling to cope with the pace at which AMR is evolving. 5 Personal protection equipment such as respiratory protective devices (RPDs) including face masks, though aimed at preventing the spread of airborne infectious pathogens, presents several possibilities for microbial transmission. 6 Most of the single-use face masks are generally made of synthetic polymers such as polypropylene and discarding these used masks poses a huge threat to the environment.…”

“…, thereby leading to progressive resistance. 5 Notably, during this alarming health crisis, the development of new anti-microbials is struggling to cope with the pace at which AMR is evolving. 5…”

Copper(II) Complexes with 1-(Isoquinolin-3-yl)heteroalkyl-2-ones: Synthesis, Structure and Evaluation of Anticancer, Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Potential

“…Nonetheless, despite the evident success of cisplatin and its analogues in medicine, their progress in clinical application is limited due to their well-known drawbacks, such as low solubility, severe side effects, including nephrotoxicity and neurotoxicity, and the intrinsic or acquired resistance of cancer cells to platinum-containing drugs [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]. Consequently, with the emergence of many biomedical applications of other transition metal complexes, including anticancer and antimicrobial agents, attention is shifting beyond platinum-based compounds [ 1 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 ]. The preclinical studies provide evidence that non-platinum agents have the potential to circumvent the problem of chemoresistance and the toxicity of platinum-based agents by exhibiting different specific modes of action, reduced undesirable effects and the ability to overcome drug-resistance mechanisms [ 10 , 12 , 13 ].…”